Archive for the Winter Preparation Category

First, know that frostbite is NOT caused by cold temperatures. Instead, it is moisture in the cold air that does the damage. The moistness comes from the hens pooping and breathing in their coop at night. Therefore, it is very important to keep the coop well ventilated. Having a vent at the top of the coop, as well as some kind of vent near the bottom, will keep the moisture to a minimum. (The Smart Chicken Coop is set up for this.)

Ventilation is different than wind. As long as the hen’s feathers don’t get ruffled, thereby releasing all the warmth trapped in their feathers, the chickens do just fine.

The first winter I had chickens, I spent a bunch of time hanging plastic tarps inside the coop to keep the girls warm and free from draft. It was a major pain and it looked ugly. Imagine my surprise when I visited a lady with 50 hens who lived about 30 minutes from me. She didn’t even have a coop; just an enclosure to protect them from predators! It dawned on me that chickens are birds with feathers—like the ones who sleep outside in trees all winter long.

That said, we here in Southern California rarely deal with freezing temperatures (it was 52 degrees last night…mid December), and very cold weather does bring a set of challenges that need to be addressed. So….

At this time of year, many hens begin to look rather crusty and bald. Most likely it’s because they are molting. Once chickens reach 1.5 years old, they annually replace their feathers. This molting process lasts an average of 2 months and typically begins once the days shorten in late summer/early fall. That way, the hens will stay warm over the winter, as their new feathers retain body heat better.

We haven’t even finished putting it together and we already love the coop. The directions are thorough and concise. – Mikkel, OR 3/16

When the box came with all the wood, we were worried :). But, your directions were easy to follow, thankfully. Fun family project that turned out great. – Desiree, NJ 10.15

Thanks for helping me with the Christmas coop surprise. My wife and kids couldn’t believe how nice Santa was and loved the coop. Now we just need the chickens. – John, NV 1.16

The coop is together and we LOVE it! The Girls (6) had a Hen Spa Morning and were in their new abode by late afternoon. They too LOVE the new coop and run! They settled right in and started laying the very next day. What a difference collecting clean eggs makes! Thank you so very much for our Smart Coop we could not be happier. — Sandy, CA 7.15

By the way the coops look amazing! I’m about to dump the wreck of a prefab coop I purchased (dumb) and GO SMART! — Kimberly, CA 8/2015

Getting chickens is the first “me” thing that I’ve done in years. I raised chickens ages ago and am really excited about having an easy to care for coop like yours 🙂 Truth be told if I hadn’t found your coop I probably wouldn’t have considered it so thank you!!! — Yvette, CA 7/15

We put our coop together and it’s even better than we thought it would be. Thank you so much! Everyone should have one of these coops!- Sheri, WI 5/15

P.S. Really love the design of your coop, especially that it’s made in the US (seems so much better quality!). and it looks great, too! I can’t wait til ours is up and running. Our boys are so excited! Thanks, again. — Mary, CA 3.15

Hi, Shelley. I LOVE MY COOP! Not only has spending time with my son and learning about chickens been worth every second of work, chickens have also led me to some very nice and wonderful people. Glad to hear your business is growing, you deserve it…what a great product!!— Michelle, CA, 2/15

I have been looking at coops online for months– thanks so much for making these coops! — Joni, GA 1.15

Hi Shelly. We in Indiana love our coop. By the way ordered an automatic opener closer, Hensafe from G Britain. Works perfect for mounting inside the smart coop! Uses time, light (detector pokes thru to outside) or combo of both. Thanks,Nancy, 11/14

We are so glad we got your coop kit. The materials are top notch. I’m not worried that it will fall apart like the Chinese coops will. — Will, GA 12/14

The Coop Kit was easier to put together than I thought. My kids are very proud to have made it. They painted it brown with a dark orange trim. — Amanda, WI, 9/14

I’m getting ready to use the screen covers since it’s getting cold out here. It makes a big difference for the girls– easy to use and look good. Thanks. John, CN, 10/14

I thought you’d like to know that I—a regular mom with basic building skills—built the coop kit alone (with one of the kids to help hold the pieces sometimes). It took a couple of hours a day, for four days, from start to finish. (I had already painted all the pieces.) – Katie, CA, 4/14

After searching for coops, we decided to go with The Smart Coop because it was the perfect combination of style and functionality. I especially like the convenient design for cleaning. We assembled our own kit in the evenings over the course of a few days. It was a fun project with very manageable step-by-step instructions. And we also enjoyed adding our own unique details and design elements. Thanks for a great product! – Anna, MO 5/15

Shelley, The coop is adorable in our yard! We love the solar light and how well is matches our house. (Our house is a Craftsman.) And that waterer is a life saver!! – Pam, San Carlos, CA

The more experience with chickens I have, the more I realize just how great your coop’s design is! Thanks– it makes our chicken lives easy! –Holly, CA, 11.15